Engineering Makerspace Kits

A learning and playing experience rolled into one, these kits are a fun way to discover and comprehend basic engineering principles. Often the ideas behind why machines work are difficult to explain and understand. That's where these kits can help. By giving children a hands-on building experience while explaining the concepts behind why their contraptions work, understanding things such as kinetic energy, how force is transmitted, and how hydraulics work becomes not only easier but also more engrained into the brain. In each kit, a specific theme is explored, such as gears and transmissions. The child builds 5 - 10 machines that demonstrate each theme and an explanation is given as to how the machines work. Sometimes, concepts are explored in a more experimental way - for instance, in a discussion of how gears transmit force, children twist differently sized gears together to see how that effects the speed of rotation. Each contraption has exploded-view picture directions which are step-by-step and show how each piece fits together. However, younger children may still need adult assistance with some of the more complex projects. - Janine